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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23499973">Freedom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RingThroughSpace/pseuds/RingThroughSpace'>RingThroughSpace</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vows [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wheel of Time</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Post-Canon Fix-It</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:35:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23499973</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RingThroughSpace/pseuds/RingThroughSpace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"These things happen," the woman explained. "We used to think it was a flaw in ourselves, the Creator cursing our House. Now, I am not so sure. I saw the Aes Sedai fight. I began to wonder if there was another way."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ryma Galfrey / OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vows [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1121754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Freedom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Oaths were tight on her skin as she ascended the steps, and Tuala stifled a yawn. The celebrations in the Gray Ajah had gone on late into the night, and she was still exhausted from her trip through the Ring.</p><p><i>Tuala Sedai!</i> She was Tuala Sedai of the Gray Ajah. After fifteen years, she had achieved the shawl.</p><p>The hallway for the Yellow Ajah was cold and dark, and Tuala's heart sank. It was late. Too late. Perhaps she ought to go to bed and return in the morning.</p><p>At the end of the corridor, a light shined under the door. Her breath tightened.</p><p>She tapped the door once, then opened it. And there was Ryma.</p><p>After two years, her face had begun to take on an ageless look, and she wore a yellow wool dress rather than the white Tuala had always seen her in. But when she looked up from her papers, the smile she wore was the same as the girl Tuala had met so many years ago.</p><p>"Tuala Sedai," she said, with a note of disbelief. "Congratulations."</p><p>For a moment, Tuala hesitated, not understanding Ryma's intentions. And then the woman rushed forward and embraced her.</p><p>"Ryma," Tuala managed. She broke the embrace to meet the other woman's eyes. Girls were pillowfriends, but many ended their relationships after they obtained the shawl. Did Ryma -?</p><p>And then Ryma kissed her.</p><p>Later that night, lying in bed, she turned to Ryma. "It's been two years," she said. "I wasn't sure you'd wait for me." She said the words through a lump in her throat. <i>To speak no word that is not true.</i> Her feelings were <i>real</i>. Speaking them made it clear they were true.</p><p>"I love you, Tuala," Ryma said. "I will always love you. Even if you took a thousand years, I would still wait for you."</p><p>Ryma had also taken the Oaths, Tuala realized. Those words were true as well.</p><p>***</p><p>The Greens were still finding their way in the world, and the Reds had changed beyond recognition, but the role of the Grays was still the same. Unfortunately.</p><p>"That bloody king," Tuala grumbled to Stevan, as they ascended the stairs to her chamber. "Four months negotiating a treaty, and he dismisses immediately. Blood and ashes. And they call <i>this</i> the Dragon's Peace."</p><p>"You'll try again tomorrow," Stevan said, calmly. "He'll change his mind eventually. I've seen you do it before. Perhaps you should speak to Queen Tima instead?"</p><p>"Perhaps," Tuala agreed, glumly. Of <i>course</i> she should have spoken to the queen originally. Unlike her husband, Tima actually had a head on her shoulders.</p><p>Tuala's stomach growled as she entered the chamber. Apart from the sweets the king always offered to visitors, she'd only had a single cup of wine all day. <i>Bloody customs,</i> she though. Why would any noble household insist upon eating alone?</p><p>Fortunately, there was food now. The negotiations may have gone on for far too long, but the small stove in the corner of her room was still hot. A covered pot sitting on the stove smelled of soup, while a small table nearby held a napkin-covered bowl with the fresh rolls the cook was known for. <i>Food, and then I will write a report to Mother Cadsuane. And then sleep.</i></p><p>She turned to Stevan. "You didn't get to eat, either, did you?"</p><p>He shrugged. "They kept me outside all day, but I faired better than you. They may not have served me a full meal, but the cook kept calling me into the kitchen to taste her dishes." A bit of satisfaction fed through their bond. "I think she's attracted to me."</p><p>When she had first accepted him as her Warder, Tuala had made her preferences clear. Stevan's dalliances held only amusement for her, no jealousy. "Of course she is. She's a bit too thin for my taste, though."</p><p>"'Never trust a thin cook,'" Stevan quoted. "But war has a way of starving people. She'll fatten up eventually."</p><p>By then, they were seated at the table. Tuala opened the basket, tore off a piece of bread, and began eating it without preamble. She had only taken a single bite when there was a knock at the door.</p><p><i>Bloody king,</i> she thought. She looked over at Stevan, but, without a word, he approached the door. A servant dressed in green livery stepped into the room . She bowed nervously. "Tuala Sedai," she said formally.</p><p>Tuala held her composure and stood, brushing crumbs off her bodice. "Is it the king?"</p><p>"No," the other woman said. She sounded nervous. "It's - there's a woman downstairs. Asking for you."</p><p>"Did she tell you her business?"</p><p>The servant's eyes were wide. There was no reason for her to be nervous. "She's a sul'dam. She said she needed to speak to an Aes Sedai immediately. She sounded upset."</p><p><i>Sul'dam?</i> Tuala could feel Stevan go rigid. "A sul'dam? And she wished to speak to me?"</p><p>The servant nodded. "She had a damane, too."</p><p>Tuala stiffened. Internally, she raged. Calmly, she said, "And they were taken inside? Together?"</p><p>"Separated, Tuala Sedai. She - put the damane in another room. They're downstairs right now."</p><p>Tuala nodded. "I am eating now. She can wait. Tell her I am indisposed, but I will come down to speak with her within the hour."</p><p>The servant nodded stiffly. "I will." She stepped out of the room, and Stevan closed the door.</p><p>Tuala forced a smile. "The food's getting cold," she said. "Let's eat."</p><p>There was no need for politeness. The sul'dam could wait.</p><p>***</p><p>Despite her words, Tuala ate nervously. She took her time to prepare, however. She usually preferred unassuming clothing, but she changed into a gray silk dress and wrapped her shawl over her shoulders. If a sul'dam wished to speak to her, she would speak to an Aes Sedai.</p><p>The women had been left in one of the outer chambers. Tuala squinted as she approached, trying to take her in. She stared into the brazier, her gray hair shielding her eyes. If it hadn't been for her dress, Tuala would never have known she was sul'dam.</p><p>She had known Black Ajah, too, she remembered. It was sometimes hard to identify evil.</p><p>"Has she been searched?" Tuala asked her escort. Over his shoulder, she tried to study the woman's reaction. She wanted her to hear her.</p><p>The guard nodded. "Thoroughly searched, Tuala Sedai. She carries nothing could be a weapon."</p><p>"Very well, then." Tuala wove fire, and a small silver bulb of light appeared before her. <i>Let her remember who she is speaking to.</i></p><p>When she crossed the threshhold, the sul'dam stood and knelt on the ground, her heads low. <i>Seanchan etiquette</i>, Tuala knew, but then she heard a sniffle. Light, the woman was <i>crying.</i></p><p>"Stand up," Tuala said. She was tired of etiquette, tired of strangers. "Enough of this nonsense."</p><p>She climbed unsteadily to her feet, her head still low.</p><p>"You wished to see me?" Tuala said coldly.</p><p>"Yes," said the woman. She promptly burst into tears.</p><p>Tuala waited patiently. Finally, the woman spoke again. "I wish to defect. And -" her voice choked "- I want to apologize."</p><p>Slowly, Tuala pried the story from her. She was a sul'dam, from a family of sul'dam. And her daughter had just been leashed.</p><p>Beneath a pang of sympathy, Tuala felt rage burn within her. Of course they would care, now that they had lost someone they loved. Before, the girls they had collared were tools. Now, they suddenly had names. Now, they were people.</p><p>"The girl was marath'damane," the woman explained. "These things happen. We used to think it was a flaw in ourselves, the Creator cursing our House. Now, I am not so sure. When I saw the Aes Sedai fight, I began to wonder if there was another way. So I want to be trained at the Tower."</p><p>"Why?" Tuala managed.</p><p>"I want to rescue my daughter," the sul'dam said simply. "I know where they have taken her. I have seen the place myself. But my daughter is damane. They will not let me in, and no damane would help me. If I were to make a gateway myself -"</p><p>"She will not be your daughter," Tuala snapped. "She will be someone else. A damane. A tool."</p><p>The woman's eyes filled with tears. "I know," she admitted. "But you are Aes Sedai. You can Heal. I have seen you save men who should be dead."</p><p>"No -" Tuala began, but the woman cut her off.</p><p>"Please, Tuala Sedai. Lady." She knelt, her voice choked again. "I have sold my estate to buy one who was yours and to return her to you. I do not ask that you aid me. I only want to be trained so I can have the tools to save my daughter. I swear I will serve the Tower faithfully all my life."</p><p><i>Restore what is yours.</i> She had almost forgotten about the damane.</p><p>"The damane," she said.</p><p>"She is Aes Sedai," the woman confirmed. "I could not learn her name. Her mind is terribly broken - but I have seen you Heal others."</p><p><i>And if she can be recovered, so can her daughter,</i> Tuala reflected. "And she is yours?" Light, she wanted her sisters back, but if they had been stolen -</p><p>"Yes," the sul'dam confirmed. "I have purchased her myself. She will not be missed."</p><p>Despite herself, Tuala nodded. "If you join the Tower, you will wear white," she said. "You will be enrolled in the novice books. You understand that you will work with marath'damane" - she nearly spit the words - "some of whom will always be stronger than you. You will obey them without question. You will not be a lady anymore. You will be housed with children, and you will be treated as one."</p><p>To her credit, the woman hesitated before replying. "Yes," she said. "I will do these things."</p><p>"Very well," said Tuala. She knew it would not be the end of it. But it would be enough.</p><p>More than enough. If the woman learned to channel, she would bind her fate to the White Tower in a way that even Tuala was not. Once she had begun, she would not be able to return home - and Seanchan were rarely welcome outside their own borders.</p><p>No, she was Tower bound. An Aes Sedai with children. An Aes Sedai who had once been sul'dam.</p><p>She wondered how many of them there would be by the end.</p><p>She gathered her thoughts. She had a plan. Maybe.</p><p>"You will remain a novice until you have reached your full strength and can be trusted," Tuala told the woman. The sul'dam gave a start but did not argue. "When they call you to be raised to Accepted, you will ask for a night to reflect on your decision. You will leave then to find your daughter. Once you do, you will immediately return to the Tower to complete your training. If you fail, the Tower can say truthfully that you ran away."</p><p>The woman nodded carefully.</p><p>"Tomorrow, if you are still decided, we will Travel to the Tower, where we can enroll you in the novice book."</p><p>She stood and straightened her skirts. The guard looked expectantly. "Give this woman a room," she told him. "And let the king know there will be no negotiations tomorrow. I will have other matters to attend to."</p><p>She stifled a yawn. She thought longingly of bed and of the fire awaiting her. It would have to wait.</p><p>"Take me to see the damane," she told the guard.</p><p>He led her to another sitting room, several hallways away. The fire flickered gladly in the room, but the figure huddled in a chair stared at her feet.</p><p>She saw the woman's hair first, and a hope she hadn't allowed herself to feel filled her. She saw her frame, and then she knew.</p><p>"Ryma," she said without thinking.</p><p>
  <i>I will always love you.</i>
</p><p>Slowly, almost unwillingly, the damane met Tuala's eyes.</p>
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